


Playing Doctor

by MalcolmInSpace



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/F, F/M, Hannah Shepard is a shameless flirt, Mass Effect 3, Shepard is deeply embarassed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 13:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmInSpace/pseuds/MalcolmInSpace
Summary: Hannah Shepard has a healthy romantic life, much to her daughter's chagrin.





	Playing Doctor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GuileandGall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuileandGall/gifts).



“…so we’ll only be making a quick stopover here to refuel and resupply. Maybe a day or two.” Shepard pauses, narrows her eyes at the vidscreen. “Mother, are you even listening?”

“Yes, dear, I’m listening, you’ll only be here a day or two,” Hannah Shepard says somewhat indistinctly around the bobby pins in her mouth.  “Sorry, dear, I’m just in a bit of a rush.”

“I can see that.  You do look nice.”

“Thank you, I-“

“Who’s it for?”

Hannah stops and frowns directly at her daughter. “I beg your pardon?”

Shepard crosses her arms and glares back. “We’re in the middle of a war and dad’s a million lightyears away. So who are you getting all dolled up for?”

“First of all, as your mother I don’t appreciate your tone. Secondly, as your superior officer I don’t appreciate your tone.”

“Mother, I’m a grown woman and a Council Spectre. I can use whatever tone I want.”

“No, you’re an impudent girl who probably should have been spanked more. Maybe that charming Mr. Vega can help you with that.”

“Mother!”

“What? Have you seen him with his shirt off? If I were twenty years younger I’d scale those abs like a mountain.  Hell, maybe if I was twenty minutes younger.”

“Augh, stop!”

“He dated an asari once, right?  So we know he’s into older women.”

“ _Mother!_ ”

Hannah Shepard’s laughter peals out. “Oh, look, the Reaper Slayer is blushing.”

“I am not!  That’s just my implants.  Being involved with a subordinate officer is, like, super against regs and you know it.  Now stop trying to change the subject. Who’s your date?”

Hannah throws her hands up in mock surrender. “I never should have taught you to be so relentless. If you must know, it’s a dinner with the turian Councillor to discuss supply lines between the Traverse and Palavan. It’s going to be utterly dreary, but I’ll take any excuse to dress up.”

Shepard makes a face. “I thought dinner parties were supposed to be fun. But I guess the Councillor ‘dismissed those claims’,” she says, making air quotes. Mother and daughter laugh together. “Well, I hope it isn’t too miserable.”

“Thank you, dear. Tell you what, why don’t we meet for breakfast tomorrow? A late breakfast. Brunch?”

“Uh, sure. You planning on being out late?”

“I’ve just about had enough of your disingenuous assertations, young lady. And no, it’s just that as you say we’re in a war and I get very few chances to sleep in.  You’re not the only one who doesn’t get to visit the Citadel often and use a real bed.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you, too. And say hello to those abs for me.”

“Good _bye_ , mother.” Shepard says, seeing her mother wink outrageously before the call ends.  Shepard drops the pad onto her side table and reclines against the headboard, her legs stretched out on the bed. She hears the shower turn off.

A few moments later Vega emerges in a billow of steam, one towel around his waist, the other being used to dry his short hair. The much-discussed abs, Shepard can’t help but notice, are glistening. “Who was that?” he asks, and has to repeat himself before Shepard hears.

“Yeah. She’s going out to some dinner function with the turians. Or so she says, anyways.”

Vega turns and tosses one towel back onto the bathroom floor. The other is doing an increasingly, and intriguingly, poor job of remaining secure around his waist. “You think she’s avoiding you? You have a fight or something?”

“No, nothing like that. I think she’s got a date and doesn’t want me to know. She and my dad have been poly since I was, like, fifteen, but they usually keep it quiet around me. I used to think they were trying to protect me, but now I’m pretty sure it’s because they know playing coy annoys me.”

“So I should probably stop playing hard to get, yeah?”

“James. Shut up, and come kiss me.”

“Yeah, alright.”

“Such enthusiasm.”

The towel gives up the losing battle and falls to the floor as Vega walks across the room. Climb them like a mountainside alright, Shepard thinks.

Then the intercom chimes, and EDI says, “Commander, Dr. Chakwas is leaving the ship. She declined to state a destination, should I monitor—“

“Go _away_ , EDI.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Shepard looks up at Vega and smiles crookedly. “Now if we could just not discuss my mother for the rest of the night…”

 

“I’d like to discuss my daughter,” Hannah Shepard says to Karin Chakwas as they enjoy their desert. They’re eating at one of the Citadel’s most exclusive restaurant, a place that takes six months waiting to get in – or the dropping of a certain Spectre’s name.  Their table overlooks the Presidium, with the lake sparkling below.  The lights are low, the food is divine, and the company is excellent.

Chakwas nearly spits out her cheesecake at the abrupt statement. “Forgive me,” she says after a moment. “I wasn’t listening.”

“Admiring the view, perhaps?” Hannah asks coyly, toying with the neckline of her dress.

“There are few finer,” Chakwas admits with a smile. “But what is it about Shepa- uh, your daughter that you want to discuss.” She feigns a pout. “If all this wonderful flirtation was just a ruse to get me to gossip about your daughter I’m going to be most upset with you.”

“No no, the flirtation is quite genuine. I’m hoping the gossip comes anyway.”

They laugh together and sip their brandys.  “Normally I’d say no,” Chakwas says, “but you are her mother, after all.”

“Are you totally sure she isn’t going to catch us here?  I have to admit I worry.”

Chakwas smiles. “Have you met your daughter?  I think she breaks out in hives if she has to eat anywhere the music is below 85 decibels.”

“She gets that from her father. And his dancing, unfortunately.”

Chakwas laughs. “So why do you want to keep this perfectly innocent dinner a secret from your daughter?”

Hannah shrugs and takes a bite of brownie. “My daughter has a tendency to be a bit… possessive of the people she cares about.”

“Whatever do you mean,” Chakwas says with an ironic lilt.

“I thought you might have noticed. I also know how much she respects you, given how much you’ve done for her. I would just hate for her to decide I’m trying to steal you away and it put you in an awkward position.”

“I appreciate that.  And I’d much rather you put me in comfortable positions.” She winks broadly, then sips her brandy. “I, ah, I may have also taken extra steps.  Precautions, really.”

Hannah crooks an eyebrow. “Oh really? Did you sedate her? Lock her in her room?  Wait, are you blushing, Karin?”

“You know Lieutenant Vega?”

“He of the glorious abs.”

“Aren’t they?  Anyways, I suggested to him that tonight would be an excellent night for he and the Commander to, ah… spend the night in.  There are so many people with demands on her time, going out probably just wouldn’t be restful.”

“So he and my daughter are…?”

“Oh, yes. For a few months now.”

Hannah smiles proudly. “Good for her. And also she’s finally able to fool even me.”

Chakwas toys with the last of her cheesecake for a moment. “You know,” she says, “there’s still a chance someone will see us.”

“I suppose that is a risk.”

“Maybe, just to be safe of course, we should retire somewhere more… private?”

Hannah smiles a crooked smile. “I think that sounds… enticing. And, just by complete coincidence, I happen to have a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy on ice in my hotel room.”

 

Brunch at the Food Effect restaurant is a hearty affair. Hidden down a side corridor in an unfashionable middle level of Zakera Ward, it caters mostly to C-Sec agents and off-duty soldiers. Mostly because it was one of the first restaurants to adopt the human idea of an “all-you-can-eat buffet”.  Two rows of steaming bins of simple, hearty, greasy food and walls covered in photos of all the notable law enforcement and military personnel who’ve eaten there.

Hannah Shepard is on her second course by the time her daughter arrives. They exchange a brief hug before Shepard goes to fill a plate. She returns with a heaping mound of bacon, eggs, and pancakes, with a single slice of melon.

Hannah arcs an eyebrow at her daughter.

“It’s the implants,” Shepard says around a mouthful of breakfast scone. “I have a higher calorie requirement.”

“Mmhmm.” Hannah sips her coffee and doesn’t lower the eyebrow.

Shepard points a fork at her mother’s plate. “You didn’t exactly skimp on the bacon, either, mother.”

“True, but I’m old and I can do what I want.”

Shepard makes a face at Hannah, and Hannah sticks her tongue out.

“Classy as ever.”

“I’m an admiral, too, so I can doubly do what I want.”  Shepard rolls her eyes at her mother, and settles down to eat. After a moment, Hannah says, “Oh, by the way, I invited some friends to eat with us. And oh look, here they are now.”

Shepard, head down and mouth full, looks up to see Chakwas and Vega walk in and nearly chokes on her food. “Uh, morning, doctor,” she says, chewing as fast as she can, “and you, too, un, Lieutenant.”

“Morning ma’ams,” Vega says nearly as awkwardly as he slides into the seat next to Shepard.

Hannah reaches across the table to shake Vega’s hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. You’re every bit as… impressive as I’d heard. Oh, and do relax. I’m here as a mother, not an admiral.”

“That doesn’t worry me much less, ma’am.”

“I simply _cannot_ imagine why that would be,” Hannah responds with a wink and smirk as she sips her coffee.

“So, _mother_ ,” Shepard interjects, “how was your evening with the turian Councillor?”

“Oh, that was a lie,” Hannah says with a laugh. “I spent the night with Karin here. Oh, dear, you really must chew your food more. Have a drink of water, there you go, breath a little.”

“Mother, I can’t believe you dragged Dr. Chakwas out to be embarrassed.”

“I didn’t. I dragged _you_ out to be embarrassed.” She leans over and touches the side of her head to Chakwas’s in a tender gesture. “I have a great deal of affection for Karin. And you take yourself a little too seriously, dear.”

“That was the only thing Project Lazarus was unable to repair,” Chakwas says around a mouthful of melon. “Her sense of humour.  One of my greatest professional regrets, to be honest.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Hannah says, “she was born with a serious deficiency of it anyways. Oh _do_ stop squirming Mr. Vega, not even my daughter will blame you for not rushing to her defence against me. Though she might have some frustrations to take out on you later.” She casts an very obvious look up and down his torso. “I suspect you might enjoy that, though.”

“Mother…”

“You two _are_ sleeping together, aren’t you? Because if you’re not, Mr. Vega I have hotel room nearby, we could…”

“Mother!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking. You can relax Mr. Vega. I have no designs upon you. I was planning to invite Karin up for some afternoon delight anyways.”

“MOTHER!”


End file.
